Age of Exploration 1/3 Flashcards
Three motives of exploration
God, Glory, Gold
What country had Europeans been long attracted to?
Asia
What were the aspects of “gold” and the economy?
- The Europeans hoped to expand trade, especially for the spices of the East.
- The Europeans hoped to find precious metals.
What was the religious aspect of exploration, known as “god”?
Many people shared beliefs with Hernán Cortés and wanted to spread Catholic faith
What were the aspect of “glory”?
- Kings and queens wanted land and power
2. Spirit of adventure
What made the voyages possible?
- European monarchies increased their power and their resources to focus beyond their borders
- European technology allowed regular voyages
What did Portuguese explorers find in the 1520s? Where did they find it?
They probed southward along the western coast of Africa and found a source of gold. This became known as the Gold Coast
Who was Vasco da Gama and how did he contribute?
Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese adventurer who rounded the southern tip of Africa and an cut across the Indian Ocean to reach the coast of India. He took a cargo of spices and earn several thousand percent profit once returning to Portugal.
Did the Portuguese take control of the spice trade?
Yes. In 1509, the Portuguese defeated the Turkish and Indians and gained control of the spice trade in India.
What other spice ports did the Portuguese take control of?
Melaka, China, Spice Islands
What treaty established Portuguese control of the spice trade?
The treaty signed with a local ruler for the purchase and export of cloves to the European market
What made the Portuguese the first successful European explorers?
Guns and seamanship
What did Christopher Columbus do and discover?
Christopher Columbus thought that he could travel west around Africa instead of east to find Asia. He ended up at the Americas, where he explored the coastline of Cuba and Hispaniola. He also explored the Indies.
How did the Portuguese and Spanish resolve the fear of the other stealing their land?
The Treaty of Tordesillas, which created a line through the Pacific Ocean and the southernmost part of Africa. Lands to the east would be controlled by the Portuguese, and lands to the west would be controlled by Spain.
Who was John Cabot
A Venetian seaman who explored the New England coastline in the Americas for England
Who was Amerigo Vespucci?
A Florentine who wrote about his discoveries of lands, which were later named America (after him)
What did the Europeans call the new lands?
the New World
Who were conquistadors?
Spanish conquerors of the Americas. They were individuals whose firearms, organizational skills, and determination brought them great success
What did Hernán Cortés do in central Mexico?
He marched to Tenochtitlán with a small body of troops and made alliances along the way. He then met the Aztec king, Montezuma. The Spanish took the king hostage and began to pillage the city. Even though the locals drove the invaders away and killed many of the Spaniards, the locals fell victim to the many European diseases. This allowed Cortés to gather troops and force the Aztecs to surrender. Cortés then built an empire in Mexico.
Who was Francisco Pizarro and what did he do?
Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador who landed on the Pacific coast of South America with a band of 180 men. They brought smallpox to the Inca Empire, and even the Inca emperor fell victim to illness.
What happened after the Inca emperor died?
His two sons competed for the throne. Athellupa defeated his brother’s forces. Pizarro then captured and executed Athellupa. He proceeded to capture the Inca capital. He established a new capital and Lima and built a Spanish empire.
By 1550, what territory did the Spanish and the Portuguese claim?
Spanish: Central America, Mexico, and South America
Portuguese: Brazil
What did Queen Isabella declare?
The Native Americans were her subjects, and the Spanish settlers in the Americas were the encomienda. This was the right of the landowners to use the Native Americans as slaves.
How did the encomienda treat the Native Americans?
The encomienda treated the Native Americans brutally. They were put under harsh labor conditions in sugar plantations and in silver and gold mines.
What caused many Native American deaths?
Forced labor, starvation, and disease
What did Catholic monks do?
Converted and baptized Native Americans
How were the social and political structures of the Native Americans affected?
European language, culture, government, and religion replaced Native American values. Parishes, schools, and hospitals were built.
What did the Spanish colonists establish in the Americas?
Plantations and ranches used to grow sugar, cotton, vanilla, livestock, and other products to export to Europe
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The exchange of plants and animals between Europe and the Americas
In the Columbian Exchange, what did the Europeans bring?
Horses, cattle, and wheat
In the Columbian Exchange, what did the Americas bring?
Corn, potatoes, cocoa, tomatoes, and tobacco
How did the English challenge the Spanish and Portuguese?
An English fleet landed on the northwestern coast of India and established trade relations with the people there
How did the Dutch challenge the Spanish and Portuguese?
Dutch fleets entered India and formed the East India Company, challenging trade across the Indian Ocean.
What was the situation for the West Indian Company?
The Dutch established the West Indian Company to compete with the Spanish and Portuguese in the west. However, its profits were less than its expenditures.
What were the Dutch settlements?
The Dutch made several settlements on the North American continent
What were the French accomplishments?
The French colonized modern-day Canada and Louisiana. The first permanent French settlement in the Americas was founded.
What did the English founded?
Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay Colony
What happened in 1660?
Rivalry with the English and French brought the downfall of the Dutch commercial empire in the Americas
What did the English seize?
The Dutch colony of New Netherland, renaming it New York
By the end of the seventeenth century, what had the English accomplished?
They had established control over most of the eastern seaboard of North America. They established sugar plantations on several Caribbean islands.
